Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Golden Family!

Talofa Lava!!! August 16, 2011
Hey everybody how is everything going!?! First off I owe an apology to Jesenia, I forgot to wish her a Happy Birthday last week. But Jesenia.. Manuia Lou Aso Fanau!!! Happy Birthday (Belated). Sorry for missing it, but I hope it was great!! I hope the Baby Blessing went good as well and that Elise is doing better. Hopefully all was good. Keep me updated please. I love you all!!

Well this week has been a pretty tough week. Sili is pretty dry right now. I’ve got to say Pedersen and I left nothing. ha ha!! But yes this whole week has been a week of going to many houses and asking for referrals from everyone with no real success. In fact with how many houses we have visited there are very few left we haven’t been to. Our area where we can actually proselyte in is not very big. But we are still doing all we can do. It is also giving us the chance to really become familiar (masani) with everyone and we are still working on strengthening who we can. We had a lot of trouble getting a lesson to come through with Isaako, but we will keep trying. We did give a lesson to another elderly man that we went and visited named Fiu Tinoifili and apparently as people have been telling me, he is very good in the culture (aganuu) and to ask him questions and learn from him. So we gave a good lesson, but he is kind of a joker and wouldn't take it seriously. He kept side tracking during the lesson to other stories of Christ that didn't pertain, but we will continue to help him and others to quit smoking and come back, as many who still come to church smoke. But we are going to start working on that.

Some very exciting news is we did contact one family in Sili Muamua who accepted to start lessons Today on Tuesday. The father's name is Manufotu Eli (Manufotu is his Talking chief title/Tulafale) and his wife and three daughters. We contacted him, from a referral from our fafaga on Tuesday, on Thursday and he asked us to come back the next Tuesday so his wife and other daughter could be with him and we could just teach the whole family instead of separate. Of course we said yes saying that is actually the exact kind of situation that is ideal for lessons. It was so exciting and we saw him again on Saturday and he asked us about Tuesday and we confirmed with him our visit and to start lessons. Another cool thing is that when I gave him a Book of Mormon and lessons books for his family he said right out he would read some and the lesson book to be ready with questions and concerns at the time of the lesson. Seems almost like a Golden Contact and we have been praying very hard for that. He is a great guy and also smokes marijuana, but it is a problem many people have, even members of the church. It is just too readily available and not illegal as in America. But anyways I feel great about it and we have been studying nonstop and praying that he will accept the message and want to change his life. As we have told other members of the ward they were kind of surprised and told us he has denied taking lessons for quite a while, so I feel blessed that something changed and we have this wonderful opportunity to teach them.

So it was Father's Day on Sunday in Samoa and so there was a special program in both wards. In Sili Muamua about five different elderly men of the ward spoke and did a great job and then at the end just like Mother's Day all the Fathers went up to the front and received ula(s) (candy leis well leis in basic, but all of these were candy) and even my comp and I received some from some of the fathers which was really neat! It was great and I thought of Dad all day and how much he has done for me. Thanks for everything Dad. I hope I become like you someday!!! Love ya Dad!!!

In Sili Lua they had about 15 different Women go up and speak on one topic about Fathers of course and how they are the leader of the family and so that was good but no giving of ula(s) there. Not that its important. Oh forgot also we got invited to the house of Fiu Misa to eat ice cream in Sili Muamua which was way cool but half of my ice cream I didn't eat as they gave me coffee flavored ice cream ha ha!! Oh well I ate the pineapple flavor.

Well that is the update for this week, thanks to President Leota for allowing us to email on Tuesday to let you all know what’s going on and mainly so the Moms don't worry ha ha!!! But I know this Church is true and is the only True Church on the face of the Earth. I know President Thomas S. Monson is the Lord's living prophet on the Earth and the mouthpiece of the Lord to guide us in this life. I know that Joseph Smith is a true prophet and restored the Church in its Fullness to the Earth. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God, the keystone of our Religion and Another Testament of Jesus Christ. I know that Jesus is the Christ. I know He is our Savior and Redeemer. He is our Advocate with the Father and we should put our full trust in Him. (see 2 Nephi 4) I love Him and am indebted to Him forever. I know God lives and is our Loving Heavenly Father. He wants us to return to live with Him forever and all He requires is to follow His Son Jesus Christ and repent and be baptized to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and then the most important is to Endure to the End. Hence why I put Keep Strong at the end of my letter. It is a problem here in Samoa we want to fix as a mission. Get them to the temple so they can endure to the end and live together forever. I love you all so much!! ou te alofa ia te outou!! Keep Strong!! Thanks for everything!!

Mission Addresses

**Packages are also sent to this address.
Use Flat Rate Priority boxes using USPS.

***When sending packages to Cody,
please mail in a separate envelope--
$4.00 for a Priority Flat Rate Box, or
$5.00 for a Large Priority Flat Rate Box
to cover additional shipping charges from
American Samoa to Upolu to: